


Midsummer Moonlight

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 03:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15257961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Rebecca manages to convince Ms Drake to go to the Midsummer celebrations in Moorland with her. Rebecca belongs to Centeris2.





	Midsummer Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Centeris2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Centeris2/gifts).



Ms Drake's arms trembled slightly as she stretched in her high-backed leather chair. It was actually just a desk chair, but Ms Drake referred to it as her throne. It helped that the leather was studded with bronze around the edges. Her back made uncomfortable cracking noises, but she soon settled back into her seat and resumed typing. Time and profit, after all, waited for no woman. Her current task was to type up a report on the operations in the Harvest Counties, a task which was now more time-consuming in a most pleasant way since the Drakonium (she absolutely refused to call it Darkonium, no matter how much better it rolled off the tongue, she lived to spite, after all) had been discovered in Old Hillcrest. Unfortunately, one of their rivals, or perhaps those CHILL hippy eco-terrorists, had planted speakers around the area which unleashed horrific screams. Her top scientists had also informed her, much to their terror, that the air inside of Old Hillcrest contained hallucinogenic properties. Ms Drake sighed as she noted this down, along with the recommendation that gas masks be supplied to the workers within the walls of Old Hillcrest. She'd never experienced any of the side-effects of the gas in there, of course, not wanting to dirty her clean white shoes or fine suit, but she believed what her scientists told her. After all, if they were lying, they knew that they'd be fired.

Returning to the project at Old Hillcrest was much better for Ms Drake's psyche than the debacle at Mistfall had been. That had been enraging, especially when a blind girl had been able to stop them. A blind girl, for heaven's sake! Somehow, Rebecca had been able to calm her down, but it had been a close thing.

Regardless, work was progressing here, slowly but surely, especially since their informant had locked that hacker out of their systems. She grinned now at the pleasant memory. How that spineless boy had screamed when Ms Drake had whispered 'boo' into his channel. But then she frowned, remembering that she hadn't been able to deliver that horse person to their new partner. That might sour relations between them. Drat. The split that she'd asked for might not happen after all, or it might be reversed to be in Dark Core's favour. But she was sure that she'd be able to figure something out.

The door to Ms Drake's private office opened, admitting her favourite secretary-slash-maid. Rebecca had started as an intern, but had quickly been promoted to being Ms Drake's own personal servant. It had much to do with her appearance, Ms Drake wasn't ashamed to admit that. She saw something she liked, and she'd made it her own. Although owning an official servant in this day and age wasn't possible, Rebecca was well aware of the nature of their relationship. Just as a good servant should be.

"Thank you," said Ms Drake as Rebecca set the cup of ink-black coffee, steaming hot, in front of her boss.

"I figured you could use one," said Rebecca. "It's pretty late, after all."

"Is it? I hadn't noticed," said Ms Drake. Rebecca walked over to the window, drawing the curtains aside to reveal a cityscape full of glowing lights, both those in windows and those of the streetlamps. A few stars could faintly be seen twinkling through the smog that lay over the city. The sight instantly brought a smile to Ms Drake's face. Ah, this was the kind of city she loved- one where the smog covered everything.

"Yeah, I was actually surprised to still find you here," said Rebecca. "I just got back from setting up the Midsummer celebration. It's different this year, I like it."

"Midsummer? Is it that time already?" asked Ms Drake, checking the calendar on her computer. Sure enough, today was the Summer Solstice. No wonder she hadn't realised how late it had gotten, the sun had set rather late. For a brief moment, fond childhood memories of buttery summer days flashed through her mind, of flower crowns and dancing like a loon and all of the hard work that went into setting up the festival site in her hometown. But then she shook her head, dismissing those memories. She had work to do now, real work, not something frivolous like making flower crowns and setting up festival sites. Even if she'd felt, for the briefest moments, the fuzzy rose hues of nostalgia.

"Mm-hm," Rebecca nodded. "I'm headed back there after this, if you're okay with that." An ember inside of Ms Drake's blackened husk of a heart suddenly sparked to life, a childlike desire to ask if she could come too gripping her. But she pursed her lips and sipped at her coffee, turning her attention back to the computer screen and the many notes on her desk that she needed to transfer into a coherent report.

"Yes, you may go," said Ms Drake. "I am almost finished with this report, I don't believe that I'll have need of your services any longer this evening. But be here bright and early tomorrow, I intend to get some things done."

"Of course," said Rebecca. She looked at her boss, at the tired lines around her eyes and the stray hairs escaping her bun. Despite this, there were no grey hairs, though. On a whim, she blurted, "Why don't you come with me?" Immediately, Ms Drake turned to glare at her.

"Don't be daft, Rebecca, I just told you that I have work to do," said Ms Drake. "I have this report, and then I need to continue trying to salvage the ruins of the Go! Water! operation."

"Surely, a night off won't hurt," said Rebecca. "Come on, come to the festival site with me. It's really nice there."

"No, I'm too busy," said Ms Drake. "This report won't write itself."

"Maybe not, but you do have all those notes, don't you?" asked Rebecca. Ms Drake looked at her, raising one single perfect eyebrow in curiosity.

"Yes," said Ms Drake. "Of course I do, do you think that all of these very important papers are just for decoration?" She gestured to the papers arrayed across her desk around her computer.

"Well then, why not continue the report later?" asked Rebecca. "You know what to write, so you can come back to it later. Come on, just one night off won't kill you, will it?"

"It just might," said Ms Drake. "But I suppose that perhaps it would be good to show those country bumpkins that my company is everywhere."

"Exactly," said Rebecca, nodding. "I don't have a car though so you're going to have to ride one of my horses."

"I think not!" said Ms Drake, recoiling. "I have a car of my own, thank you very much, I don't need to ride a stinky old horse."

"I'll make you into a horse girl yet," said Rebecca. Ms Drake snorted.

"Hardly, if I didn't become a horse girl when I rode one when I was a girl, I'm not going to become one now," said Ms Drake. Rebecca gasped, staring at her boss.

"I didn't know you could ride!" said Rebecca. "A horse, I mean. You seem so..."

"What? Strict? Uptight? Proper?" asked Ms Drake. Rebecca nodded.

"Yeah, that," said Rebecca. "But hey, I guess that makes you a proper Jorvegian after all."

"Don't get your hopes up," said Ms Drake. "I only rode it for the extra credit, I sold that thing as soon as I could."

"What breed was it? Colour?" asked Rebecca. Ms Drake narrowed her eyes at her. "Oh, this is so exciting! Maybe I can get you on one of mine."

"No," said Ms Drake. "Aside from any lack of desire to ride one of those animals, if someone caught me on a horse, they might think me weak. Soft."

"Hey, I don't think you're weak or soft, and I've literally seen you naked," said Rebecca. "You're the strongest woman I know." Ms Drake smiled, proud.

"Thank you," said Ms Drake. "But I still won't go riding with you." Rebecca sighed.

"I'll get you on a horse one of these days," said Rebecca. "But you're still coming to Midsummer with me, right?"

"Yes," said Ms Drake, saving her work and locking her notes into the top drawer of her desk. She turned her computer off and rose from her seat. "I need to put in an appearance for my company, after all."

While Rebecca rode off to the Midsummer site on Dawnwarrior, clad in a Midsummer dress and with a wreath of Midsummer flowers from previous years decorating her head, Ms Drake drove on ahead, arriving at the festival site before her. When Rebecca finally found her through the crowd (she was easy to find, being the only one dressed in a suit), she discovered Ms Drake standing at the wreath-making station, weaving leaves and flowers together to create a wreath. Large sunflowers decorated it, ones that Rebecca swore she recognised from the sunflower fields near Butter Hill.

"Wow, that looks really good," said Rebecca, coming to stand beside her boss. She'd spent hours earlier seeking out all of the flowers that she could find, each flower now grouped by type in separate containers. She picked out some glowing Pandorian flowers and began to weave them together into a wreath for herself.

"I used to make these all the time as a girl," said Ms Drake. "I got very good at it eventually. My parents kept offering to help me, but I didn't want their help. Perhaps I should have accepted their help, but there was definitely a sense of pride in making something by myself."

"I guess that's one thing that's never changed about you," said Rebecca, smiling at her. "Only now, you're independent for a different reason."

"Yes, it is very much dog eat dog in the corporate world," said Ms Drake, examining her flower crown before carefully setting it on top of her hair. It fit snugly around her head, not looking out of place in the slightest. She could run a board room meeting, looking like that, give a presentation and not have a single person so much as look sideways at her. It was her crown.

"You know, a lot of queens ride their horses into battle, and nobody thinks of them as weak," said Rebecca later on as she stood with Ms Drake over by the bonfire. Both of them sipped at sour lemonade, the taste very much agreeable to Ms Drake.

"But there is no place for horses in a world of pavement," said Ms Drake. "Who needs horses when you have horsepower?"

"You sound like Keema," said Rebecca.

"Who is she?" asked Ms Drake, jealousy tingeing her voice. Rebecca smirked into her glass, her hair hiding her face.

"One of the Jorvik Rangers," said Rebecca. "I think she just learned to drive because she's obsessed with it. And don't get jealous, I'm pretty sure that she's in love with Rania."

"Ugh, that brat," said Ms Drake, a sour look crossing her face. "Do me a favour, Rebecca, don't talk about Mistfall ever again."

"Okay, I won't," said Rebecca, deciding not to mention who had organised this year's Midsummer celebrations.

Perhaps it was the atmosphere. Perhaps it was the nostalgia. Perhaps it was true that Ms Drake really had needed a rest. But, by the time the moon rode high in the sky and most of the Midsummer attendees had vanished, Ms Drake finally relented.

"You may fetch me a horse," said Ms Drake, her and Rebecca having retired to one of the banquet tables to pick at the food. Rebecca looked up, shocked.

"What?" said Rebecca, disbelieving. Ms Drake smiled, a rare gentle one, and shook her head.

"You've worn me down," said Ms Drake. "Bring me a horse and I'll ride it. We can ride it together. Or you ride your horse and I ride mine."

"Did someone spike the lemonade or something?" asked Rebecca. "Did the sun get to you or something?" Not that it could have, there'd been no sun since they'd been at the festival. Ms Drake laughed.

"I demand that you fetch me a horse at once, Rebecca," said Ms Drake. "And not that pony you rode here on, I want a proper horse."

Fortunately, the first horse that Rebecca brought was a 'proper' horse, to Ms Drake's standards.

"A lipizanner, hm?" said Ms Drake. "I knew that you could ride, but I didn't know that you could ride this well."

"Yeah, I have four of them," said Rebecca. "This is Noblewarrior, the calmest of them. I figured she'd be a good horse for someone who hasn't ridden in a while."

"Noble, hm?" said Ms Drake, walking around the horse. "Quite a fitting name. I do remember how to ride, fortunately." Though Rebecca worried about Ms Drake riding in heels, the woman managed to swing herself into the saddle, sitting up as though she'd never stopped riding. Rebecca felt unexpected fondness wash over her. Little things like this kept her coming back, time after time, to the evil woman.

"Okay, now I can see the allure of a woman on horseback," said Rebecca as she mounted Dawnwarrior. The two of them circled the Midsummer site for a while before riding down onto the road to ride around Moorland. In the moonlight, Ms Drake only looked more beautiful. Rebecca couldn't seem to stop staring at her. And she promised, then and there, that she would do whatever it took to be able to see this sight more often.


End file.
